Docking station with thermoelectric heat dissipation system for docked portable computer

ABSTRACT

A portable computer docking base has incorporated therein a thermoelectric cooling system used to provide auxiliary operating heat dissipation for a portable notebook computer operatively docked to the base. The cooling system includes a thermoelectric (Peltier effect) heat pump unit disposed within the docking base housing and having opposite hot and cold sides. A finned heat sink member is secured to the hot side of the assembly and positioned in the path of fan-generated cooling air, and a heat slug member is secured to the cold side of the assembly and projects outwardly through an exterior wall of the docking base housing into its computer receiving area. When the computer is placed in the receiving area and docked, the is cooling system heat slug member is brought into heat conductive contact with a similar heat slug member carried within the computer and thermally coupled to its microprocessor. Operating heat from the microprocessor is transferred through the contacting heat slugs, passes through the thermoelectric heat pump assembly to its hot side heat sink, and is dissipated from the heat sink to the cooling air flow within the docking base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to computer apparatus and, in apreferred embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to apparatus fordissipating operating heat from a portable computer operativelyconnected to a docking station used to electrically connect the dockedcomputer to desktop peripheral devices.

2. Description of Related Art

With the advancement of computer microprocessor technology, portablecomputers such as the increasingly popular notebook computer arebeginning to equal larger is desktop computers in performance. The moreadvanced notebook computers also produce, in quite a small spatialenvelope, a very significant amount of operating heat which approachesthat generated in a desktop computer and provides the computer designerwith the challenging task of sufficiently dissipating the operating heatin order to avoid undesirably high temperatures within the interior ofthe notebook computer and on its various external surface areas.

Many modern notebook computers are typically operated in three modes—(1)by itself under internal battery power, (2) by itself using converted DCelectrical power from an AC electrical source, or (3) operativelyconnected (or “docked”) to a docking station expansion base structurewhich electrically couples the docked portable computer to desktopperipheral devices such as a monitor, mouse and keyboard.

In the first two of these operating modes the display screen lid portionof the notebook computer is opened, thereby increasing the totalexterior surface area of the computer exposed to ambient air to whichcomputer operating heat may be dissipated. When the notebook computer iscoupled to the docking station, however, the computer's display screenlid is closed, thereby reducing the overall exposed exterior computersurface area from which heat may be dissipated. This tends toappreciably increase the interior and exterior operating temperatures ofthe docked computer compared to applications in which it operated byitself with its display screen lid in its opened orientation. Suchoperating temperature increases are aggravated by the fact that thedocking station physically covers and insulates large exterior portionsof the docked computer and inhibits the dissipation of heat therefrom.

As an example, a modern high speed notebook computer microprocessor cangenerate within the computer on the order of about 8 watts when thecomputer is in its battery mode, about 10-12 watts when the computer isin its AC mode, and up to about 20 watts when the computer is Aoperatively coupled to a docking station.

Of course, from an operating heat dissipation standpoint, provisionsmust be made to handle the maximum heat load condition—i.e., when thenotebook computer is docked with its lid closed. This has proven to bean extremely challenging design task since the small spatial envelope ofmodern notebook computer as a practical matter precludes the use thereinof traditional desktop computer cooling apparatus such as large internalfans and heat sinks.

A need thus exists for apparatus which will adequately dissipate thesubstantially increased operating heat generated by a docked portablenotebook computer. It is to this need that the present invention isdirected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In carrying out principles of the present invention, in accordance witha preferred embodiment thereof, a specially designed docking base isutilized to provide auxiliary operating heat dissipation for a portablecomputer, representatively a notebook computer, operatively dockedthereto. This auxiliary heat dissipation provided by the docking baseadvantageously reduces the amount of computer operating heat dissipationthat must be provided for by apparatus carried within the portablecomputer itself.

In a preferred embodiment thereof, the docking base has a housing withwhich a thermoelectric cooling system is operatively associated. Thedocking base housing has a receiving area through which a portablecomputer may be moved through a docking path into an operatively dockedposition relative to the docking base housing.

The thermoelectric cooling system is operative to dissipate operatingheat from the docked portable computer and has a cold side portionpositioned to be engaged and receive heat from a heat dissipationportion of the portable computer, which is thermally communicated withan internal heat-generating component within the computer, in responseto movement of the portable computer through the docking path.

Preferably, the cold side portion of the thermoelectric cooling systemprojects into the docking path and, in conjunction with a portablecomputer configuration useable with the docking base, is receivable inan external computer housing side surface recess when the computer isdocked. The computer's heat dissipating portion, representatively afinned heat sink member thermally connected to the computer'smicroprocessor, is exposed within the recess and is engageable by thecold side portion as the computer is docked.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the thermoelectriccooling system includes a thermoelectric heat pump unit having a coldside from which a metal heat slug member projects upwardly through adocking base housing wall into the docking path, the metal heat slugmember defining the aforementioned cold side portion of thethermoelectric cooling system. The docking path extends rearwardlythrough the docking base receiving area, and the exposed top sidesurface of the heat slug member is rearwardly and upwardly sloped. Thecomputer housing recess is formed in a bottom side thereof, with thebottom side surface of the computer's heat dissipating member beingcovered with a suitable thermal interface material and sloped in amanner such that it is in parallel abutment with the top side surface ofthe cooling system heat slug member when the computer reaches its dockedorientation. A protective spring-loaded cover door is slidably securedover an outer side portion of the computer housing recess and is pushedinto the housing by docking base wall projections adjacent the coolingsystem heat slug member entering the computer recess, andspring-returned to its original position when the slug member iswithdrawn from the computer recess.

The hot side of the thermoelectric heat pump unit within the dockingbase housing illustratively has a heat sink member secured thereto, anda cooling fan is provided for use in dissipating heat from the heat sinkmember. The cooling fan representatively has its inlet coupled by a ductstructure to an inlet opening in an exterior wall section of the dockingbase housing and is operative to sequentially flow ambient air inwardlythrough the inlet opening, across the hot side heat sink, and thenoutwardly through an outlet opening in an exterior wall section of thedocking base housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified, somewhat schematic perspective view of arepresentative portable notebook computer being operatively coupled to adocking station expansion base;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged scale perspective view of a left rear portion ofthe notebook computer and an adjacent portion of the top side receivingarea of the expansion base; and

FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged scale schematic cross-sectional views takenalong line 3—3 of FIG. 2 through the expansion base and notebookcomputer and respectively illustrate the portable computer in undockedand docked positions thereof in addition to schematically illustratingthe operation of a specially designed thermoelectric computer heatdissipating system incorporated in the expansion base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Perspectively illustrated in simplified, somewhat schematic form in FIG.1 is a specially designed docking station expansion base 10 thatembodies principles of the present invention and is used to operativelycouple a representative portable notebook computer 12 to selecteddesktop peripheral devices (not shown) such as a monitor, mouse andkeyboard.

The expansion base 10 has a generally rectangularly configured housingwith a horizontal bottom side wall 14 adapted to rest on a horizontalsupport surface such as a desktop 16, a horizontal top side wall 18,left and right vertical side walls 20 and 22, and front and rear endwalls 24 and 26. Expansion base 10 also has an upwardly projecting rearhousing end portion 28 which includes the rear end wall 26 and has avertical front wall 30 forwardly spaced apart therefrom. Upper side edgeportions 20 a,22 a of the housing side walls 20,22 project upwardlybeyond the top side wall 18 and form therewith a recessed computerdocking receiving area 32 that horizontally extends between the verticalhousing walls 24 and 30.

Centrally disposed on the front wall 30 of the upwardly projecting rearhousing end portion 28 is a forwardly projecting, horizontally elongatedelectrical connector 34 positioned between two forwardly projectingguide pins 36. Connector 34 is operatively coupled to interfacecircuitry 38 located within the expansion base 10 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B).Interface circuitry 38 functions in a conventional manner to operativelycouple the connector 34 (and thus the computer 12 when it is docked tothe expansion base 10 as later described herein) to selected desktopperipheral devices (not shown) such as a monitor, a mouse and akeyboard.

According to a key aspect of the present invention, a specially designedthermoelectric computer cooling system 40 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) isdisposed within the interior of the expansion base 10 and is used, aslater described herein, to provide auxiliary operating heat dissipationfor the computer 12 when it is operatively docked to the expansion base10.

Turning now to FIG. 3A, the cooling system 40 includes a thermoelectric(Peltier effect) heat pump unit 42 having vertically opposite cold andhot side plates 44,46 and being supplied with DC electrical power from asuitable source thereof via a pair of electrical leads 48.Representatively, the thermoelectric heat pump unit 42 may be acommercially available unit such as those manufactured in solid statemodular form by the Melcor Corporation of Trenton, N.J. under thetradename “FRIGICHIP”. Basically, in response to the supply ofelectrical power thereto, the heat pump unit 42 acts as a thermoelectriccooler (TEC) that continuously moves heat from its upwardly facing coldside 44 to its downwardly facing hot side 46.

A metal heat slug member 50 is secured to the cold side 44, in athermally conductive relationship therewith, by a layer of suitablethermal interface material 52 and projects upwardly through an opening54 in the top side wall 18 of the expansion base 10 into the receivingarea 32 forwardly adjacent the front wall 30 of the rear housing endportion 28. For purposes later described herein, the top side surface 50a of the heat slug member 50 slopes rearwardly and upwardly at arelatively small angle and two small upward projections 59 are formed onthe top expansion base wall 18 (see FIG. 2) adjacent the front cornersof the upwardly projecting portion of the heat slug member 50. A finnedmetal heat sink structure 56 is secured to the hot side 46 of the heatpump unit 42 by a layer of suitable thermal interface material 58.

The thermoelectric cooling system 42 also includes a cooling fan 60disposed within the interior of the expansion base housing forwardly ofthe heat sink structure 56. The inlet of the cooling fan 60 is coupledto a perforated air inlet area 62 on the expansion base housing wall 22by a suitable duct or shroud 64. TO exhaust the flow of air created bythe cooling fan 60, a perforated air outlet opening area 66 is formed inthe rear end wall 26 of the expansion base housing.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3B, the notebook computer 12 has generallyrectangular base and display screen lid housings 68 and 70. Base housing68 has top and bottom side walls 72 and 74, front and rear side walls 76and 78, and left and right end walls 80 and 82. Disposed within the basehousing 68 is a heat generating electronic component, representatively amicroprocessor 84, which is mounted on the bottom side of a horizontallyoriented circuit board 86 inwardly adjacent the rear base housing wall78.

The bottom side of the microprocessor 84 is secured to the top side of afinned metal heat sink structure 88, in thermal communication therewith,by a suitable thermal interface material 90. As best illustrated insimplified form in FIG. 2, a rearwardly extending recess 92 is formed ina bottom edge portion of the rear base housing wall 78 and has an openbottom side and is upwardly bounded by a downwardly and forwardlysloping recessed wall portion 94 of the expansion base housing. Theslope of the wall 94 is identical to that of the exposed top side 50 aof the heat slug member 50. When the portable computer 12 is operativelyplaced in the expansion base receiving area 32 as later describedherein, the recess 92 is horizontally aligned with the exposed upper endportion of the heat slug member 50 so that such upper end portion entersthe recess 92 as the computer 12 reaches its docked orientation on theexpansion base 10. As can best be seen in FIG. 3A, a lower portion ofthe heat sink structure 88 projects downwardly through a suitableopening in the top recess wall 94, into the recess 92, and has adownwardly and forwardly sloping bottom side surface 88a which has aslope angle identical to that of the exposed top side 50 a of the heatslug member 50 and is covered by a suitable thermal interface material95.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a recessed electrical connector 34 a, which isreleasably mateable with the expansion base connector 34, is centrallylocated on the rear side wall 78 of the base housing 68 between twocircular holes 36 a formed in the wall 78 and configured to releasablyreceive the guide pins 36 as the computer 12 is being docked as laterdescribed herein. The rectangular display screen lid housing 70 of theportable notebook computer 12 is secured by a hinge structure 96 to atop rear side edge portion of the base housing 68 for pivotal movementrelative to the base housing 68 between a closed position (shown inFIGS. 1-3B) in which the lid housing 70 extends across and covers thetop side 72 of the base housing 68, and an open position (not shown) inwhich the lid housing 70 is pivoted away from top base housing side 72to a generally vertical stand-alone use orientation. A suitable latchmechanism (not shown) is provided for releasably holding the displayscreen lid housing 70.

With the notebook computer 12 in its illustrated closed orientation, thecomputer is docked to the expansion base 10 by placing the computer 12in the recessed receiving area 12 with the lid housing 70 facingupwardly and the rear side wall 78 of the base housing 68 facing thefront wall 30 of the expansion base rear housing end portion 28. Whenthe computer 12 is placed in the receiving area 32 in this manner, thebottom wall 74 of the base housing 68 contacts the top side wall 18 ofthe expansion base 10 in a manner vertically aligning the computerconnector 34 a, guide pin openings 36 a and base housing rear siderecess 92 respectively with the expansion base electrical connector 34,guide pins 36 and the exposed, upwardly projecting portion of the heatslug member 50. Additionally, the left and right end walls 80,82 of thecomputer base housing 68 slidingly engage the upwardly projectingexpansion base guide portions 20 a,22 a in a manner horizontallyaligning the computer connector 34 a, guide pin openings 36 a and basehousing rear side recess 92 respectively with the expansion baseelectrical connector 34, guide pins 36 and the exposed upwardlyprojecting portion of the heat slug member 50.

Next, as indicated by the arrow 98 in FIGS. 1 and 3A, the computer 12 ismoved rearwardly toward the vertical expansion base wall 30—eithermanually or by a suitable motorized drive system appropriatelyincorporated into the expansion base 10—to the computer's dockedorientation shown in FIG. 3 and in dotted lines in FIG. 1—As the rearside of the computer 12 approaches the vertical expansion base wall 30,the guide pins 36 enter the rear computer wall openings 36 a, theconnectors 34,34 a are releasably mated to couple the internal computerelectronics to the desktop peripheral devices (not shown) via theinterface circuitry 38, and the exposed top side portion of thethermoelectric cooling system heat slug member 50 enters the computerbase housing recess 92 to bring the sloping top side 50 a of the heatslug member (which forms a portion of the overall cold side section ofthe thermoelectric cooling system 40) into complementary heat transferengagement with the thermal interface material layer 95 on theidentically sloped bottom side 88 a of the computer heat sink structure88 (see FIG. 3B).

To shield the heated computer heat sink structure 88 from a user'stouch, a protective door panel 100 (shown in FIG. 2, but omitted fromFIGS. 3A and 3B for illustrative clarity) is horizontally mounted on thecomputer base housing 68, by rail structures 102, along the bottom sideof the recess 92 and is resiliently biased rearwardly, by aschematically depicted spring structure 104, to its solid line FIG. 2position in which its rear edge 100 a is aligned with the rear wall 78of the base housing 68. As the upwardly projecting portion of the heatslug member 50 enters the recess 92, the projections 59 engage the rearedge 100 a of the door panel 100 and, as indicated by the arrow 106 inFIG. 2, move the door panel 100 to its forwardly deflected dotted lineposition to permit the previously described thermal interface contactbetween the heat slug 50 and the computer's heat sink structure 88.

With the computer 12 docked as schematically illustrated in FIG. 3B,operating heat from the computer processor 84 (or other heat-generatingelectronic component to which the heat sink structure 88 could beconnected) is transferred downwardly through the abutting heat sink 88and heat slug 50 to the cold side 44 of the heat pump unit 42,thermoelectrically transferred to the hot side 46 and into the heat sinkmember 56, and then dissipated from the heat sink member 56 by operationof the fan 60 which sequentially flows ambient cooling air 108 inwardlythrough the air inlet opening area 62, through the duct 64, across theheat sink member 56 and outwardly through the expansion base air outletopening area 66.

The computer operating heat dissipation provided by the speciallydesigned expansion base thermoelectric cooling system 40 of the presentinvention augments the cooling system disposed within the interior ofthe computer 12, which may include the heat sink structure 88 and othercomponents not illustrated herein. Importantly, the additional computerheat load created by docking the computer 12 with its display screen lidhousing 70 closed and major portions of its exterior surface areablocked by portions of the expansion base 10 is dissipated withoutincreasing the interior computer space that must be dedicated to heatdissipation apparatus. Thus, the heat dissipation system within thenotebook computer 12 need only be sized to handle the substantiallylesser operating heat generated by the computer 12 in its undockedbattery and AC power modes.

The representatively illustrated vertically facing arrangement of theabuttable expansion base and computer heat transfer elements 50 and 88is particularly well suited to the typically horizontal orientation ofthe computer microprocessor 84. However, as will be appreciated by thoseof skill in this particular art, these abuttable heat transfer elementscould be placed in other locations, and in other facing orientations ifdesired. As but one example, the cooling system heat slug member 50could project forwardly from the vertical expansion base wall 30 andabut a forwardly facing surface of the computer heat sink structure 88.In this representative alternate arrangement, the abutting surfaces ofthese heat transfer elements could be vertically oriented, and would nothave to be sloped.

The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as beinggiven by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope ofthe present invention being limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable computer docking base comprising: ahousing having a receiving area through which a portable computer may bemoved through a linear docking path into an operatively docked positionrelative to said housing, said housing having an interface configured tocouple said portable computer to a peripheral device when disposed inthe operatively docked position, said interface comprising; a firstguide member to direct sliding movement of sad portable computerlinearly into said housing: a first electrical connector; and a secondguide member confirmed to guide a second electrical connector on saidportable computer into mating engagement with said first electricalconnector; and a thermoelectric cooling system associated with saidhousing and being operative to dissipate operating heat from the dockedportable computer, said thermoelectric cooling system having a fixedcold side portion positioned to contact and receive heat from a beatdissipation portion of the portable computer when the portable computeris moved linearly into the operatively docked position.
 2. The portablecomputer docking base of claim 1 wherein: said thermoelectric coolingsystem is disposed within said housing, and said cold side portion ofsaid thermoelectric cooling system projects into said docking path. 3.The portable computer docking base of claim 2 wherein: said receivingarea has a bottom side defined by a wall of said housing, said wallhaving an opening therein, and said cold side portion of saidthermoelectric cooling system extends upwardly through said opening. 4.The portable computer docking base of claim 3 wherein: said docking pathextends rearwardly through said receiving area, and said cold sideportion of said thermoelectric cooling system has a rearwardly andupwardly sloped top side surface.
 5. The portable computer docking baseof claim 1 wherein said thermoelectric cooling system includes athermoelectric heat pump unit disposed within said housing and having acold side from which a heat transfer member outwardly projects, saidheat transfer member defining said cold side portion.
 6. The portablecomputer docking base of claim 5 wherein: said thermoelectric heat pumpunit has a hot side, and said thermoelectric cooling system furtherincludes heat dissipation apparatus operative to dissipate heat fromsaid hot side.
 7. The portable computer docking base of claim 6 whereinsaid heat dissipation apparatus includes: a heat sink member secured tosaid hot side, and a fan structure operative to flow cooling air acrosssaid heat sink member.
 8. The portable computer docking base of claim 7wherein: said housing has an outer wall portion with an air inletopening area and an air outlet opening area therein, and said fanstructure is operative to flow cooling air sequentially through said airinlet opening area, across said heat sink member and through said outletopening area.
 9. Computer apparatus comprising: a docking base includinga housing having a computer receiving area, said computer receiving areacomprising: a first guide member to direct sliding movement of saidportable computer along a linear docking path; a first electricalconnector; and a second guide member configured to guide a secondelectrical connection said portable computer into mating engagement withsaid first electrical connector; a thermoelectric cooling systemassociated with said housing and having a cold side portion; and aportable computer having an internal heat-generating component and aheat receiving member in conductive thermal communication with saidinternal heat-generating component, said portable computer being movablethrough said computer receiving area, along the docking path, into anoperatively docked position relative to said housing, said cold sideportion of said thermoelectric cooling system and said heat receivingmember being configured and positioned in a manner causing them to comeinto contact with one another when said potable computer is disposed insaid operatively docked position.
 10. The computer apparatus of claim 9wherein said portable computer is a notebook computer.
 11. The computerapparatus of claim 9 wherein: said thermoelectric cooling system isdisposed within said housing, and said cold side portion of saidthermoelectric cooling system projects into said docking path.
 12. Thecomputer apparatus of claim 11 wherein: said portable computer has abase portion with an exterior wall sect ion having a recess formedtherein, and a portion of said heat receiving member is exposed withinsaid recess.
 13. The computer apparatus of claim 12 wherein: saidcomputer receiving area has a bottom side defined by a wall of saidhousing, said wall having an opening therein, said cold side portion ofsaid thermoelectric cooling system extends upwardly through saidopening, and said recess is formed in a bottom side portion of said baseportion of said portable computer.
 14. The computer apparatus of claim13 wherein: said docking path extends rearwardly through said computerreceiving area, said cold side portion of said thermoelectric coolingsystem has a rearwardly and upwardly sloped bottom side surface which issloped to be in parallel abutment with said top side surface of saidcold side portion of said thermoelectric cooling system when saidportable computer reaches said operatively docked position thereof. 15.The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein said thermoelectric coolingsystem includes a thermoelectric heat pump unit disposed within saidhousing and having a cold side from which a heat transfer memberoutwardly projects, said heat transfer member defining said cold sideportion.
 16. The computer apparatus of claim 15 wherein: saidthermoelectric heat pump has a hot side, and said thermoelectric coolingsystem further includes heat dissipation apparatus operative todissipate heat from said hot side.
 17. The computer apparatus of claim16 wherein said heat dissipation apparatus includes: a heat sink membersecured to said hot side, and a fan structure operative to flow coolingair across said heat sink member.
 18. The computer apparatus of claim 17wherein: said housing has an outer wall portion with an air inletopening area and an air outlet opening area therein, and said fanstructure is operative to flow cooling air sequentially through said airinlet opening area, across said heat sink member and through said airoutlet opening area.
 19. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein saidinternal heat-generating component in said portable computer is amicroprocessor.
 20. A method of utilizing a portable computer dockingbase to provide auxiliary operating heat dissipation for a portablecomputer operatively docked thereon and having an internalheat-generating component, said docking base and said portable computerhaving hollow housings with exterior wall portions, said methodcomprising the steps of: associating a thermoelectric cooling systemwith said docking base housing, said thermoelectric cooling systemhaving a cold side portion with a first face; securing a heat receivingmember to said portable computer in thermal communication with saidinternal heat-generating component, said heat receiving member having asecond mating face configured for mating contact with said first face;docking said portable computer along a linear slide path on said dockingbase housing by utilizing a first guide to bring said cold side portionof said thermoelectric cooling system and said heat receiving memberinto contact with one another; and connecting a first electricalconnector on the portable computer with a second electrical connector onthe docking base by utilizing a second guide to electrically couple saidportable computer to a peripheral device coupled to said docking base.21. The method of claim 20 wherein: said associating step is performedin a manner such that said cold side portion of said thermoelectriccooling system projects outwardly from said exterior wall portion ofsaid docking base housing, and said securing step is performed byforming a recess in said exterior wall portion of said portable computerhousing, said recess being oriented to be entered by part of said coldside portion in response to docking said portable computer, and exposinga portion of said heat receiving member within said recess.
 22. Themethod of claim 20 wherein: said thermoelectric cooling system has a hotside portion disposed within said docking base housing, and said methodfurther comprises the step of flowing cooling air across said hot sideportion to dissipate heat therefrom.